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Monday, April 23, 2012

Julie Hansen Week: Af-Am Lit, Black Studies & Lovejoy Library

This week, I'm writing a few entries focused on my work with SIUE professor and humanities librarian Julie Hansen, who plans to retire in June. In the past, I've produced weeks devoted to writers Elizabeth Alexander, Aaron McGruder, Evie Shockley, and Allison Joseph. A series on someone who, among many other contributions, has supported our reading interests and public humanities efforts offers additional ways of thinking about building knowledge in black studies.

I met Julie when I began working at SIUE in the fall of 2003, and we've become friends and collaborators on various projects over the years. We've gotten a chance to check out and later discuss several writer visits to the university, including Nichelle Tramble, Julie Otsuka, Amiri Baraka, and Maya Angelou.
Julie and I have been having an extended conversation about authors, books, and ideas for nearly 10 years now. She made the initial introductions to many of my various connects at Lovejoy Library--a place that has become a key site for our many black studies events.

My writings this week provide a glimpse of the ways that a black studies program and someone who studies African American literature have benefited by working with a university humanities librarian like Julie Hansen.